11/03/04: 25th Anniversary Show Kicks Ass, Takes Names.
Dateline October 31, 2004: Slim's in San Francisco was the scene for a rockin' party celebrating Alternative Tentacles 25th birthday!

First up was the always awesome psyche-distorto-freakout-jam of Comets On Fire, followed by the ridiculously out of control rockin' punk of Fleshies. After these two local acts, the visiting teams got a chance to strut their stuff. Slim Cessna's Auto Club wowed everyone with their Texas-fried country-goth-rock-twang-abilly. A.T.'s latest signing The Bellrays were next, and made good on their reputation as one of the hottest live acts in the land with their patented vision of "Maximum Rock and Soul"!

Finally, the headliners- Jello Biafra with The Melvins- hit the stage, facing a sweaty, warmed-up, enthusiastic capacity crowd. They tore the roof off, stomped it into a bajillion pieces, then reassembled it with the combo of Jello's razor-sharp vocals and the Melvins power-tool tuneage! A Rock Miracle, to be sure, and one which pleased the leathered and lathered multitudes in attendence!

We had a great time, and we'd like to thank all the fans who came out and the 5 great bands who really made it happen. Props to Slim's for a smooth, rockin' Halloween, and a "Best Costume" award to the ape-girl (who was really a guy) with the AT Bat tattoo in the middle of her/his back. There were a ton of rad costumes, so competition was fierce! -Jesse the Male Mail

P.S.- We've all been busy since Halloween with the whole election thing, hence the late posting. We have some of the limited edition posters we had at the show available now through this site. We'll have the last of the 25th Anniversary shirts up on-line soon also.

10/28/04: British film fans award G. W. Bush "Movie Villain of the Year"

George Bush may be neck-and-neck in the polls with John Kerry, but there is at least one survey that puts him on top - as cinema's best baddie.

The American president was awarded the dubious honour of Movie Villain of the Year for his part in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 by 10,000 film fans polled by Total Film magazine.

Mr Bush beat stiff competition from Spider-Man 2's Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina, and from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's wannabe lumberjack, Leatherface. Even Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Kill Bill assassin Elle Driver, played by Daryl Hannah, proved no match for the White House's current tenant.

Total Film editor Matt Mueller said Mr Bush was "absolutely terrifying" in Fahrenheit 9/11: "He looked like a man who had lost control - the famous scene where he sits there in a school, absolutely paralysed, after being told about the twin towers, is just one example.

"Lots of people saw [the movie] and movie-goers are saying that there's no one like George Bush to strike fear into people's hearts."

10/26/04: John Peel Has Died
Legendary British Radio DJ John Peel has died. Peel broke many bands over the years and played a lot of Alternative Tentacles artists too. Read the article here.

10/18/04: Soldier shoots film in Iraq
Check out photos from a Sgt. who has just returned from Iraq here! Only a couple of the photos are graphic, but all are eye-opening...

10/14/04: Transcript of the final Republicrat debate
The Washington Post has posted a transcript of the debate with factchecking footnotes here. Also, major news outlets failed to report that David Cobb, the Green Party candidate, and Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian candidate, were arrested while protesting the shutting out of third party candidates at last week's debate in St. Louis.

10/08/04: Melvins WILL Play the AT Halloween Show
The Melvins will still play with Jello on Halloween for ATs 25th anniversary show at Slims in San Francisco. They have cancelled all remaining tour dates for the rest of the year due to illness. They will use a stand in bassplayer at the Halloween show, but will definitely be playing.

10/07/04: Michael Moore bribing voters with underwear and ramen??
Michigan Republicans have filed a criminal complaint against Michael Moore who hosted a voter registration event for "slackers" that gave away clean underwear and ramen to attendees. The Republicans allege that the underwear and ramen are bribes to win votes for John Kerry, in Moore's efforts to oust George W. Bush. Read the whole story here.

10/06/04: Transcript of the Vice Presidential debate
You can read the transcript of the Republicrat debate between vice presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards here. The next presidential debate will be held this Friday, October 8.

Here is info on a debate with presidential candidates from the Green, Libertarian, Constitution, and Socialist parties happening tonight at Cornell University.

10/05/04: Read Letters to Michael Moore from the Troops in Iraq
The Guardian UK has posted some excerpts from Michael Moore's new book Will They Ever Trust Us Again: Letters from the War Zonehere. They are all real letters and e-mail sent to Michael Moore by soldiers stationed in Iraq.

10/01/04: Transcript of Bush-Kerry debate
You can read the transcript of the first Republicrat presidential debate for Election 2004 here. Future scheduled debates include the vice presidential debate with John Edwards and Dick Cheney on Tuesday, October 5; and two other presidential debates on October 8 (town hall meeting style) and October 13 (on the economy). Check your local listings for broadcast times.

The Bay Area's own Alternative Tentacles, one of the oldest independent labels, is celebrating its 25th anniversary! To commemorate the occasion, we have assembled a great line-up of AT artists that show the diversity and scope of the label's vision. We hope to see all of your smiling faces at the show, as it will be a night to remember!

Alternative Tentacles 25th anniversary show:

Jello Biafra with the Melvins
The Bellrays
Slim Cessna's Auto Club
Fleshies
Comets on Fire

Jello Biafra with the Melvins are the confirmed headliners, but the rest of the order is still undecided, so come early! Doors will be at 7 pm and tickets will be $18.

Slim's is located at 333 11th Street, San Francisco, CA
www.alternativetentacles.com
www.slims-sf.com

Formed in 1979 by Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, Alternative Tentacles has been giving art a bad name ever since. The AT discography showcases work from a diverse array of artists that includes Biafra's entire musical and spoken word discography, as well as releases from Wesley Willis, Mojo Nixon, D.O.A., Pitchshifter, JFA, and many, many others throughout the label's history. AT also specializes in releasing spoken word albums by leading political thinkers like Greg Palast, Noam Chomsky, and many others. AT continues its battle to bring worthwhile music to the world and is looking forward to another 25 years of polluting the mainstream!

09/10/04: NOBOSS in Frisco? You bet!
Everyone's favorite Bay Area Collective of Collectives, NOBOSS (a.k.a. Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives, NoBAWC) is hosting No Bosses Here, the 2004 Worker Cooperative Conference and Festival in San Francisco this weekend!

It all happens September 10th, 11th, and 12th at the Women's Building and at the Red Vic Movie House- check out the schedule of films, workshops, live music, and more at the NOBOSS site!

09/09/04: Jesse the Mail Male for Berkeley City Council!
That's right, AT's own Mail Male Jesse Townley is running for local political office in Berkeley, CA this November. His campaign- which is a serious one, not a symbolic one- has been endorsed by Jello Biafra, Fat Mike, Mike Park, Punk Voter, and Plea For Peace- as well as more traditional entities like the Alameda County Green Party and a local City Councilmember. More information at his site, including information on the upcoming fundraising shows with FleshiesHarold Ray Live In Concert and Jello Biafra!

"During Schwarzenegger's address, peace activist and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin was on the floor of the convention. As she was standing less than 20 feet away from Vice President Dick Cheney, she unfurled a pink banner that read "Pro-Life: Stop the Killing in Iraq." Security officials quickly approached her and told her to put it away. Medea responded by saying it was a pro-life banner. Minutes later, a Secret Service man came up and asked for her press credentials. She stalled for a few minutes cheering Schwarzenegger along with the Republican crowd.

She was soon surrounded by more security officials. When she realized she was being escorted off the convention floor. Medea Benjamin turned to Vice President Dick Cheney who was sitting 20 feet away and repeatedly yelled "Stop the killing in Iraq." Secret service members carried her upside down off the convention floor.

What Medea Benjamin said to Mr. Cheney as she was carried off of the convention floor:

MEDEA BENJAMIN: Mr. Cheney, stop the killing in Iraq! Mr. Cheney, stop the killing in Iraq! Mr. Cheney, how much money did you make on the war? Mr. Cheney, how much money did you make on the war? Stop the killing in Iraq! Stop the killing in Iraq! Stop the killing in Iraq! Stop the killing in Iraq!"

08/31/04: RNC Protests continue with Police tricks
From 9/1/04 NY Times:
"Many fear that the intensity and frequency of the clashes could escalate, and have questioned police tactics.

'It's an example of the police suckering the protesters,' said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, referring to the arrest of some 200 protesters who said they thought they were abiding by an agreement they had negotiated with the police as they marched from ground zero on Fulton Street on Tuesday.

'It was a bait-and-switch tactic,' she added, 'where they approved a demonstration and the protesters kept up their end of the bargain. They undermined people's confidence in the police, and that's a serious problem as we go forward.'